Many believe that 2020 has been the worst or the cursed year, the most terrible in the history of human civilization. Natural disasters continued in various parts of the globe, further leading to an increase in the bloodbath. The COVID-19 pandemic, that shook the world with the sudden fall of the economy, major industries shut down, loss of jobs, and much more. However, some shocking events took place in the year 2020.
This blog takes you all to have a quick glance at those never-expected incidents of 2020.
Bushfire in Australia
The year 2020 began with a horrible bushfire in Australia that killed or dislodged 300 crore animals. NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian called out the third state of emergency on 2nd January after months of continuous blazing. The deadly fire had made cities evacuate and burned millions of acres. Almost, one billion animals are believed to have died and more than 100 species needed “emergency intervention” to survive.
Covid-19 pandemic
Then came the Covid-19 pandemic that tainted about 30 million individuals and slaughtered almost 10 lakhs overall, according to India Today. The Chinese branch of the World Health Organisation was notified of the novel coronavirus and the symptoms, although the cases were being reported as early as November 2019, who then referred as nCoV on January 7. The pandemic is believed to have begun spreading from the city of Wuhan, located in the Hubei province of China. The nation reported its first death on January 11 from the novel corona virus. One of the most shocking events of 2020 that almost traumatised us.
A Ukrainian flight crash in Tehran
Soon after Iran launched an attack on US troops stationed at Iraqi military bases, on January 8; Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was crashed in Tehran, Iran, on the same day; killing more than 176 people on board. Iran later asserted the obligation regarding the incident, saying in a statement that the plane was shot down after it was mistaken for a threat.
Death of Kobe Bryant
NBA legend Kobe Bryant with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers were killed when the helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, on January 26. They were on their way to a game at Bryant’s sporting facility Mamba Academy via private helicopter. The report says that the helicopter flew in extreme foggy weather, even when the Los Angeles Police Department grounded its flights.
The UK withdraws from the EU
After more than 3 years of deliberation and political tumult, the UK finally left the EU at the end of January. The move received mixed response as there were celebrations and protest across the country, this news itself was one of the most shocking events of 2020 that not only bizarre the citizen of the UK or the EU but also the world. But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent a video message at that time, “The most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning, it is a moment of real national renewal and change”
Italy: 1st country to implement nationwide lockdown
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte declared a nationwide lockdown in the country. The announcement came after Italy had become the second-worst hit country by the virus besides China, while other countries like Japan, the US, South Korea, Taiwan ranked below China. While the US declared a national emergency on March 13.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a national lockdown on 25th March for 21 days initially and then got extended for 2 months with the rise in the number of corona-affected cases.
Tokyo Olympics postponed
One of the highly expected sporting events of the year-the 2020 Summer Olympics-that was to take place at the end of July, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan, postponed on March 24 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The International Olympic Committee later ann0unced, that the event will be happening post-July, 2021.
US alone has highest number of corona affected patients
The US, especially New York state alone had more coronavirus cases than any other country worldwide on 9th April with over 160,000 infected people, out of which 7,000 people were dead.
Skirmishes between India and China
Since 5 May 2020, Chinese and Indian soldiers have engaged with forceful scuffle, face-offs, and skirmishes. In late May, Chinese forces had a problem with Indian street development in the Galwan River valley. As indicated by Indian sources, melee fighting on 15/16 June 2020 brought about the passing of 20 Indian warriors including an official.
India bans Chinese mobile app
The government of India banned almost all the Chinese app slowing, starting from June under section 69A of the Information Technology Act. This action was taken based on the inputs regarding these apps for engaging in activities that are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state, and public order.
Worldwide Chaos due to Pandemic
The global corona virus case began increasing and the lockdown or curfew yet continued in some nations. Few industries saw a major fall in the market. They had to shut down their permanently settled business. Economies around the globe disintegrated, job losses, and people had to shift their business or think of another medium to earn their bread. Some organization shifted WFH (Work From Home) with a little bit of cut down on the wages. The world is yet in shock with the pandemic and still waiting for a day to become corona-free.
Beirut Explosion
While the world battled with various organic and natural disasters, human-blunder led a lethal blast that shook Beirut’s port. A large amount of ammonium nitrate, that was stored at Beirut port, the capital of Lebanon, exploded. This led to the death of 204; injuring 7,500 and causing property damage of US$15 billion; leaving approx. 300,000 homeless people. As per Wikipedia, the devastating explosion is considered one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history and also the shocking events of 2020.
COVID-19’s Third Wave
Since the pandemic was in waves, the third wave of Covid-19 escalated in November, when the cases began to surge. By the end of November, worldwide cases took off to 60 million. Since then, cases have moved upward, driving the governments worldwide to enforce social distancing prerequisites for the winter holiday season. When would we get freedom from this shocking event?
Worldwide Vaccination Effort Kicks Off
In the recent news, Pfizer made waves when it declared that it was rolling out a 95% successful COVID-19 vaccination. Followed by Moderna, at 94.5% in mid-November. As the worldwide global race escalates, the challenges still exist. People’s perception towards safety vaccine has dropped significantly, which may yet complicate the global economy.
With such a devastating ride in 2020, many people are wondering what will 2021 have in store. The economy will be the focus for the coming year with the vaccination taking the center stage. CoVID-19 has certainly changed the course of human life, some of the physical businesses will slowly resume back with the travel and tourism industry taking the initial stand. Even though there was a spike in unemployment, the emergence of new businesses saw an opportunity.
How fair will 2021 be?
Will things get back to normal?
Still, a question that hangs around with many twists and turns.
Read more
- Impact of E-commerce in Current Era
- Contribute Towards the Nation by Supporting SMEs
- Role of Digital India in Economic Growth of the Nation
- Trending online industries post Covid-19 outbreak
- 6 Reasons : Why Work From Office is Better than WFH
- Khatriji: One-stop Online Portal with Multiple Features
Image courtesy:
- nytimes.com
- ihrb.org
- express.co.uk
- news.sky.com
- dguv.de
- dw.com
- si.com
- talkcharge.com
- asia.nikkei.com
- bloomberg.com
- visualcapitalist.com
- cbsnews.com
- robberport.com
- technologynetworks.com
- news.un.org
- latimes.com
- npnews24.com
- contegohumanitas.com
- usatoday.com
- aljazeera.com
- wivb.com
Tags: Covid-19, khatriji, shocking events